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How to stay healthy as a busy professional

22nd January 2018

The life of a busy professional is a taxing one, especially for those working as lawyers or working jobs in London’s legal sector. With myriad meetings, deadlines, paperwork, and clients to please, there isn’t a whole lot of time in the day left to worry about one’s wellbeing. However, it is important to try and look after yourself; eating well, staying fit, and having a calm mind will all benefit your job performance. If you are thinking you need to improve in this regard, that you need to look after yourself just a little bit better but are unsure of how to do so, take a look at the below tips and suggestions for how to stay healthy as a busy professional.

Tips from At Home Fitness

To kick things off, we thought we would bring you some excellent tips and advice from At Home Fitness – a personal trainer company who love nothing more than to help busy professionals obtain a healthy lifestyle.

At Home Fitness have all kinds of suggestions for those wanting to stay healthy while working a busy office job, so those that are thinking about the subject will do well to listen to the below advice:

“Chuck out the biscuit bowl and replace it with a fruit bowl. Take it in turns to fill it up each week.

“Keep a track of how much water you are drinking. The recommended amount is around 2 litres, which is 8 glasses. Bottles with time markers on are a great prompt to help you drink consistently throughout the day instead of gulping down 1 litre in 2 minutes. Being hydrated will help in a number of ways - focus, mood, digestion, just to name a few.

“In big offices it always seems to be someone’s birthday. Instead of having 100 samosas or éclairs to deal with every few days, have one day once a month where a few treats are brought in. Preferably on a Friday, so they don’t hang around for days. On this day you can celebrate a few birthdays in one go.

“Stand up! You don’t need to walk from your desk every 30 minutes but standing up as you work, or take a call, can help your body massively – as you will burn more calories and will function better. Stand up desks make this task much more practical.

“Can you commute in a more healthy way? If you can walk or cycle to work, great! Do that. If not, park as far away from your office as you can. This will give you some extra steps to add on to your day.

“Climb the stairs. It’s an obvious one but climbing a few flights of stairs every day can be quite taxing on your legs, and your heart and lungs. You may think you’re not fit enough to do it, but the more you do it the fitter you’ll become!

“Have walking breaks. At lunch partake in a 15-30 minute power walk. The more the merrier! Ask colleagues to join you, as this can make it more fun, and you can motivate each other on cold, wet days. Try and keep it as brisk as possible. This is around 3.5MPH.

“Get a trainer. Can you get a personal trainer to come out to a few likeminded staff? All you need is space and some exercise clothing and they’ll do the rest...."

Regarding the specifics of what they can do to help busy professionals stay fit, At Home Fitness explained to us what they offer for offices and groups of staff:

“We offer a service to companies where we come out to them and train their staff on their premises. We provide all of the kit so all they need is a bit of space, appropriate to the amount of staff attending. We can train them outside or at a local park if that works better, however. The sessions can run before, during, or after work. One of our clients is an aerospace company in Wolverhampton, whom we have been working with for 9 years. We have also visited companies to perform health and lifestyle consultations, which include a few fitness tests and measurements, and a mini report.”

Always start with breakfast

Often called the most important meal of the day, breakfast is an essential first step in building a healthy lifestyle. While it may be tempting to skip this meal all together so you can sleep in a little longer or catch that train to work at a quieter time, one should always make the time and start the day off right. Whether you opt for a fruit bowl, cereal, toast, or something more elaborate, having a good breakfast will provide many benefits, such as preventing obesity, moodiness, and keeping your body sustained until later in the day.

Save time with healthy shopping

The life of a busy professional doesn’t often start or end at 9-5, making it difficult to spend time on a big nutritious shop after work. This isn’t an excuse to grab any old thing of the shelf or order a Chinese, however. There are many options to help with this problem, including a number of fantastic delivery services specialising in healthy ingredients. Hello Fresh is a fantastic company that provides fresh, pre-portioned ingredients for delicious recipes right to your door. Simply pick your desired ingredients, receive your weekly box, and cook a healthy and convenient meal following their step by step instructions.

Get healthy snacks delivered to the office

There will be times during the day you will surely be feeling a little peckish but with your hectic schedule you are more than likely tempted with just snacking on a chocolate bar or packet of crisps. These aren’t the most nutritious options, however, and can lead to a pretty bad diet if this becomes a regular habit of yours. Don’t go hungry, however – instead, try using the services of a company like Graze, a nutritionist approved snack box subscription company which can deliver a variety of well portioned and healthy handpicked snacks to your office. Their selection runs the entire gamut from sweet to savoury, baked goods to popcorn, and more.

Keep yourself hydrated

Of course, as At Home Fitness touched on, eating well isn’t the only necessary component. Keeping hydrated is just as important, especially for those working hectic jobs. Even if you don’t feel overly thirsty, try and drink plenty of water (not cans of Coke and other fizzy drinks). Bring a flask or bottle with you to work, keep it on your desk to remind you, and get in the habit of drinking from it regularly. Learn to love water, it will be a great ally throughout your career.

Exercise before work

Exercise is something that many of us can better implement into our lives. However, heading to the gym isn’t something that is all that appealing after a long day at work, especially in busy cities like London. Instead, try getting up that little bit earlier and heading out for a run, to the gym, or even exercising at home on something like a treadmill. This will be a great way to start your day and will allow you to arrive at work already in top gear while everyone else is still struggling in first.

Another option to consider is hiring a personal trainer that can come and help you at your own convenience. At Home Fitness would of course be a wonderful choice and has personal trainers that will come direct to you at home. This is a super convenient option, helping you to fit your exercise around your busy work schedule, and also helping you to avoid crowded gyms and stressful traffic.

Prepare snacks and meals in advance

While at work, it’s very easy to lose track of time and just nip out at lunch and grab a burger or other unhealthy snack. This isn’t exactly conducive to a healthy diet, however, so instead, why not take the time over the weekend or in the evening to prepare lunch and snacks in advance? Putting together a simple salad, delicious sandwich, or even a warm meal will allow you to enjoy lunch in a healthier fashion.

Combine lunch with meetings

Another option, especially if you are so busy that you are even struggling to find time for lunch, let alone a healthy one, is to schedule work meetings with a lunch excursion. For the managers out there, why not gather the team and head out for a working lunch? Not only will the change of scenery do everyone good but by sitting down to a nice meal you will reap the health benefits while still being able to discuss the day’s pressing matters.

Make time for family meals

Your healthy lifestyle shouldn’t end at work, however. Once you return home, try and make the time to enjoy a family meal. Unwinding after a long day at work is crucial to mental health so why not relax by cooking a top meal with your spouse and sit down to dinner for some pleasant conversation? An evening meal is not only important for family cohesion but will give you the chance to carry on your improved eating habits and forget about the stresses of the day.

Get your rest

Finally, for all those with busy work days ahead, it’s vital that you allow your body to get the rest it needs. It may be tempting to stay up an extra hour and watch just one more episode of your favourite Netflix show but you’ll likely regret it come morning and wish you had got into bed at a reasonable hour. You will be surprised at how much better you feel for having done so and will be able to start that newly formed healthy lifestyle that underpins your day with all the energy you need.